The women’s basketball team (7-14) has been busy as of late, playing three games in the last week, including a dominant 79-47 win over Suffolk University on Tuesday. The win came at a much-needed time for the Cardinals, halting their 11 game losing streak that began on Jan. 5 when the team commenced NESCAC play. Wesleyan has yet to get a victory within the NESCAC, but with two games remaining in the season, both against conference opponents, the Cardinals still have a chance to capture their elusive first NESCAC win.

In the game against Suffolk, it was clear early on that the Cardinals were in a different league than the Rams, as they shot an astounding 58 percent field goal percentage from the floor in the first half, including 40 percent from beyond the arc. They were also a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe.

Center Eileen Gaffney ’12 reflected on the Suffolk victory.

“Our shots dropped and we made a strong commitment to defense,” she said. “We took Suffolk out of every offensive set they threw at us.”

The solid shooting and intense defense made a marked impact on the score, as the Cardinals jumped out to an early 7-2 lead and never trailed the Rams the entire game. By the end of the first half, the Cardinals were up 53-25, and thus players who normally do not see large minutes got solid playing time in the second half. The fact that the bench players played the large majority of the second half accounts for the closer score, 26-22 in Wesleyan’s favor, but despite resting their starters the Cardinals still came away with a dominant 79-47 victory.

Previous to the Suffolk game, the Cardinals took on Emmanuel College and NESCAC opponent Connecticut College, falling to both teams in close contests. In the Emmanuel game, the Cardinals had a strong first half, taking an early lead and expanding it to five points to end the half up 39-34. However, in the second half Emmanuel took advantage of the Cardinals slow start, tying the game with 15 minutes remaining. Emmanuel continued their onslaught, eventually outscoring the Cardinals 38-30, finishing with a 72-69 victory.

Against Connecticut College, the Cardinals again had a stronger first half than second, finishing the first down one, 25-24, and going into halftime they had hopes of earning their fist NESCAC victory. However, similar to the Emmanuel game, the Cardinals came out flat after half time, and the Camels capitalized on their sloppy play, earning a 24-18 scoring margin in the half, to end the game with a 49-42 score.

The Cardinals have two games remaining, both against tough NESCAC opponents. It will be difficult for Wesleyan to earn a victory, but given the solid showing in their most recent game, don’t count out Wes just yet. Both games are at home, Friday against Colby at 8 p.m. and Saturday against Bowdoin at 4 p.m.